Pardis Mahdavi

About Pardis Mahdavi

I’m the Founder & CEO of MyUni, an AI-native accredited workforce education company rethinking the future of work and learning. We are building a more affordable, adaptive, and accredited model that replaces rigid degree pathways with flexible, stackable learning aligned to real employer demand.I founded MyUni after more than two decades in higher education leadership, including serving as President of the University of La Verne, Provost and Executive Vice President at the University of Montana, and Dean at Arizona State University and the University of Denver. I’ve seen firsthand where traditional higher education creates access, trust, affordability, and workforce-readiness gaps — and I believe the next model must be built differently from the ground up.MyUni’s mission is to bridge the gap between talent and opportunity by making quality education more accessible and more relevant to the workforce of tomorrow.I’m also a board member at Lumina Foundation, a lifetime member of the Council on Foreign Relations and Young President’s Organization, and an author and educator focused on education, mobility, and social change.

Experience

1. Executive Director

   Uc Berkeley Executive Leadership Academy

   Jan 2026 — Present

   I lead the nation\'s preeminent higher education leadership academy devoted to supporting leaders navigating higher education in a rapidly changing global environment

Education

• Columbia University

  Master's degree

  2002

• Occidental College

  Bachelor of Arts - BA

  2000

• Columbia University

  Master of Philosophy - MPhil

  2004

• Columbia University

  Doctor of Philosophy - PhD

  2006